Come, discover a most unlikely honeymoon destination - Arunachal Pradesh, a hitherto unseen world of wonder, deep in the heart of the North Eastern Himalayas.

The 'hairpin' route to Tawang

What would you call a place where time stands still? A world of unparalleled beauty and serenity that very few tourists have ever seen. A wondrous, mystical realm that calms the troubled soul and soothes the senses like no salve ever can. If this is an illusion, I'd gladly live in a dream world for the rest of my life. For if ever I have left a place with an ache in my heart and a yearning to return anon, it surely is the Land of A Hundred Lakes.

I arrived in Guwahati, one wet and hazy morning. To say that my 66-hour journey in the Guwahati Express was harrowing would be akin to saying that the Everest is a tall mountain. The only compensation for the never-ending trauma was the ever-changing panorama that unfolded as we passed from state to state. Thankfully, that never failed to enthral.

I had exactly two hours to catch my breath and freshen up in Guwahati before departing for our next destination, Tawang, in the upper reaches of Arunachal Pradesh. A 470-kilometre journey that spanned 48 hours and various states of mind. The first thing that strikes you about the landscape in the North East is its sheer diversity. En route to Tawang, we passed through dense green forests, skirted raging rivers, inched our way up treacherous mountain roads, drove past roadside waterfalls and marvelled at cliff sides aflame with a riot of colour! On the second day in fact, we could only average around 20 kilometres an hour due to a mix of steep inclines, hairpin bends and inclement weather. But the drive had more than its fair share of surprises. Poetry by the roadside, a brave Jawan's samadhi, tales of valour and intrigue, colourfully dressed tribals and breathtaking vistas of the Himalayas around every bend.

The gateway to Tawang

Tawang, situated at a height of 11,400 feet is the most important seat of Buddhist learning in Asia. Strategically placed at the junction of roads leading to Tibet, Burma and China, the Tawang monastery is revered by Buddhists around the world. On the day after our arrival in Tawang, we were informed that there was an area above the town, towards the Chinese border, where there were a hundred lakes. We were surprised to hear this because the subsoil in the Himalayan region is porous and hence should not retain water. But who were we to question Mother Nature's grand plan?

The next morning, we set out to discover the Land of a Hundred Lakes. It was wet and freezing, with temperatures hovering around 4-5 C and visibility down to a few metres. Our Gypsy strained as it took one steep hairpin bend after another, ascending at an angle of almost 40 degrees! The tracks were narrow, with a valley on one side and a sheer cliff face on the other. Leave alone seeing the lakes, we could hardly see where we were going. However, we did make it to a tiny Buddhist Shrine, simply called PTSO Gompa. Despite the inaccessibility and the remote location of the shrine, its popularity was quite obvious. Gaily coloured cloth strips fluttered merrily in the wind as mute testimony to the number of devout Buddhists who had visited it in the past. Mother Nature however was in no mood to relent and so with a heavy heart and hope for a brighter tomorrow, we drove back to Tawang.

" We drove on further up the road, discovering one shimmering lake after another. There they lay like glittering jewels, each vying to outshine the other in beauty."

Waterfall en route to Tawang

The next morning we drove back up to PTSO Gompa to take a closer look at the Lake District. The sky was bright blue, with sunlight streaming through the clouds. We drove up to PTSO Gompa, along a road that clung to the hillside like a leech, threatening to drop us off, if we strayed too far. Just past the PTSO Gompa, there was a tiny lake shimmering in the sunlight. We drove on further up the road, discovering one shimmering lake after another. There they lay like glittering jewels, each vying to outshine the other in beauty.

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